


Not A Christmas Tradition

by stjarna



Series: AoS Advent 2016 [10]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AOS Advent 2016, All mistakes are my own, Bus Kids - Freeform, Christmas, Domestic!Fitzsimmons, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Quite possibly the biggest pile of Christmas schmoopiness you'll ever read, Schmoop, prompt: tradition, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: Written for Day 10 of the AOS advent 2016 organized by the wonderful theclaravoyant on Tumblr.Prompt: Tradition





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Fits within [The Ghosts No One Knew](http://archiveofourown.org/series/562259) universe]

The landscape is covered in a thin layer of snow. When their little cottage comes into view, it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale, or a Bob Ross painting, or both. Daisy parks her car in their driveway and gets out. She retrieves her bag from the trunk and walks up to the house, the snow crunching with each step she takes. She fumbles to get the keys out of her coat pocket and opens the door.

“Hey guys,” she yells into the hallway.

“We’re in the kitchen,” Fitz’s voice can be heard from a distance.

Daisy puts her bag down, takes off her coat and shoes, and wanders toward the kitchen.

“What’s that smell?” she asks loud enough for them to hear her in the other room. “It smells amaz—”

She stops in the entrance to the kitchen, her eyes wandering around the room. Fitz is sitting at the kitchen table, holding Peggy with one arm on his lap, while trying to decorate what looks like about a hundred cookies in front of him with icing and sprinkles. Jemma is standing behind the counter, wearing an apron dusted with flour, stirring vigorously in a large metal bowl.

“Did Santa’s Cookie Kitchen take shop up here?” Daisy asks a bit befuddled. “S.H.I.E.L.D. not paying you enough? Starting a side business?”

“She wants to start a tradition,” Fitz remarks, gesturing at Jemma with his head while simultaneously trying to keep Peggy’s little hands away from the bowl with icing.

“What kind of tradition? Single-handedly putting all of Scotland into a sugar-coma?” Daisy jokes. She walks over to Fitz, and takes Peggy from him. The baby’s chubby face lights up. “I’ve missed you too, Monkeybutt,” Daisy says happily and gives her godchild a kiss on the nose, before resting her on her hip. “Okay, _now_ I’m all ears. What kind of tradition are we talking about?”

“We’re baking biscuits,” Jemma says matter-of-factly, putting the large bowl down on the counter.

“Umm, yeah, that much was pretty clear,” Daisy replies. “But there must be a reason why you’re baking enough to feed a small country.”

“It’s for the maternity ward,” Fitz says, spreading some icing onto another cookie in front of him.

“The maternity ward?” Daisy repeats. “Okay, guys, seriously, can’t you just tell the whole story in one swoop rather than having me play twenty questions?”

“Well, this dough needs to chill for an hour anyways,” Jemma comments, removing the dough from the bowl. “I’ll heat up some water for tea and then I’ll tell you,” she continues, wrapping the dough into cling wrap, and putting it away in the fridge.

“Alrighty,” Daisy says, and sits down at the kitchen table with Peggy on her knee. She reaches for one of the cookies in front of Fitz.

“You’re hand moves any further, you’ll lose it,” Fitz mutters, without taking his eyes off his decorating job.

“I can’t _try_ one?” Daisy asks confused. “There’s like _a thousand_!”

Fitz looks up. “You’re gonna have to bring up that subject with the boss.” He gestures at Jemma with his head. “She has made it _very_ clear that no biscuits are to be consumed until she knows the _exact_ final number and can divvy them up precisely and evenly.”

“Oh-kay,” Daisy replies, wrinkling her forehead. She turns Peggy around so the girl is facing her and bounces her on her knee. “You’re parents are majorly weird, I hope you know that.” The baby smiles at her. “You’re lucky that you have your cool Aunt Daisy,” she jokes.

She notices Fitz’s eyes gazing up, a smile playing on his lips. “She sure is,” he says quietly.

Jemma comes over to the table with two cups of steaming hot tea. She puts one next to Fitz, kissing him on the cheek, before walking over to Daisy, placing the second cup down in front of her. “Here you go, cool Aunt Daisy,” Jemma says, her eyes sparkling joyfully. Jemma goes back to the kitchen counter and grabs a third cup for herself before joining the others at the table.

She takes a sip of her tea. “Alright,” she announces, and takes a deep breath. “As you are well aware, cool Aunt Daisy—”

“Okay, you can stop calling me that now,” Daisy chimes in briefly.

Jemma chuckles. “Well. Peggy was born Christmas Day, and if it weren’t for the wonderful, hard-working people at the hospital—nurses, doctors, midwives, _everyone_ —well… I just am so incredibly grateful, because while Fitz and I became a family that day, _they_ missed time with _their_ families to help Monkeybutt into this world.” Jemma pauses. “So, I want to start a tradition: Every year on Christmas Day, I want to go to the hospital and bring the staff of the maternity ward some home-made biscuits and fruit, and… thank them.”

“That’s sweet,” Daisy admits, and looks at the table covered in cookies. Suddenly she notices something. “They’re bears, and flowers, and—”

“Birthday cupcake shapes,” Fitz adds.

“Well, they’re not _Christmas_ biscuits, they’re _birthday_ biscuits,” Jemma explains. “I don’t care about Christmas… well, that’s not entirely true… but I’m _far_ more excited about celebrating Peggy’s birthday, and to have people join us in the celebration so to speak.”

“Why don’t you show her the card?” Fitz suggests.

“What card?” Daisy asks curiously.

Fitz smiles. “I made a holiday card.”

Jemma gets up and disappears in the hallway. She returns only moments later with a postcard that she hands Daisy.

Twelve pictures of Peggy, one for each month of her life, each more adorable than the next, are arranged on the card. “Happy Peggy’s First Birthday!” Daisy reads, and takes a closer look at the bottom of the card where a small asterisk is followed by tiny print. “That was the most politically correct Holiday greeting we could think of.”

She lets out a small laugh. “Oh Monkeybutt,” she exclaims. “Your parents are the most adorable, loving, and lovable dorks the world has ever seen.” Daisy lets her eyes wander one more time over the table and rest of the kitchen. “Okay, so, Christmas Day is in _three_ days. How many more of these are you planning on making, Jemma? Because I think we need to call in reinforcements.”

“I second the reinforcements idea,” Fitz chimes in, sprinkling glittery sugar over one of the bear-shaped cookies.

Daisy reaches for the phone in her pocket and dials. “Mack?... Hey there! I know you and Elena were planning on coming in two days, but we have an emergency situation here… sort of… we need a few more elves for cookie-decoration purposes… yes you heard correctly. Get here as fast as possible and bonus points if you drag Coulson and May along with you!... Great! I knew I could count on you! Bye!” She hangs up the phone. “Reinforcements are on their way!” she announced triumphantly.

“Hallelujah!” Fitz exclaims.

“Thank you,” Jemma says quietly.

“Anything for my best friends and my Monkeybutt,” Daisy replies. “But I _think_ that should earn me one of those cookies, right?” She stretches her hand out to grab a flower-shaped cookie with pink frosting.

“You’re hand moves any further, you’ll lose it,” Fitz repeats his earlier threat.

Daisy looks questioningly at Jemma, who lets out a deep sigh. “Fine,” she acknowledges. “ _One_!... For each of us.”

“Hallelujah!” Fitz exclaims and shoves the cookie in his mouth that he just finished decorating.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is incredibly cheesy and schmoopy, but it's also very personal, 'cause my daughter was born Dec. 25, and that's kinda my tradition :)


End file.
